Phnom Penh

Well Phnom Penh is a bustling busy hot city, and as you would expect being the capital of the country is Cambodias largest city with a population of around 2.3 million people, despite this I was surprised at how easy it was to get around the main parts of the city that a visitor needs to go to all the action is: restaurants, nightlife, silver pagos temples, independence roundabout, shopping, bus station and most of the accommodation is located near the centre of the city alongside the Tonlie Sap river you can criss cross this central area in one of the many tuk tuks for a fare of around US$3 per ride, the sprawling outer suburbs offer nothing of interest to the visitor..

During the day Phnom Penh gets hot sticky and busy from early in the morning with cars, buses, tuk tuks and motos all jockeying for road position, there are few traditional taxis around the city as everyone uses the tuk tuks.

In the day you can visit the Silver Pagoda and Palace, stroll down independence Ave to see the monument on the roundabout which is a copy of the main temple tower from Angkor Wat, otherwise the main activity in the city is to enjoy the riverfront where the breeze off the river brings some relief from the heat, many restaurants, cafes and bars are dotted along (and some floating in) the Tonlie Sap River.

It is evening time that the city really comes alive as the sun drops the temperature dips slightly and you see the paved areas and gardens around Independence Avenue spring to life with youngsters playing football, families out for a walk, exercise groups from Yoga to Zumba gather in groups for the daily workout and street vendors and street cafes pop up all along the route, after early evening activities from 6 to 8 there is a lull when everyone goes home to change before heading out for the night.

There are several 'hotspots' for nightlife in the city the two main areas to head to for food drink and entertainment are: the riverfront, and between streets 51 to130 cafes, restaurants, pubs and clubs party well into the night and into the early morning. It is this vibrant social life that keeps many people in Phnom Penh longer than they intend but for most people - like myself- it is just a staging post to head to and from the other areas of Cambodia:
Siem Reap for the temples of Angkor, Sihanoukville Cambodias beach hotspot, Kampot sleepy riverside town famous for its black pepper, and Vietnam and Thailand are just a few hours away by bus.

part four Sihanoukville and Koh Rong

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